Virginia’s solar power capacity could triple in 5 years

FILE- This April 20, 2011, file photo shows some of the 30,000 solar panels that make up the Public Service Company of New Mexico's new 2-megawatt photovoltaic array in Albuquerque, N.M. Some in the U.S. solar-power industry are hoping a decision this week by President Donald Trump doesn’t bring on an eclipse. Companies that install solar-power systems for homeowners and utilities are bracing for Trump’s call on whether to slap tariffs on imported panels. The solar business in the U.S. has boomed in recent years, driven by falling prices for panels, thanks in part to cheap imports. That has made solar power more competitive with electricity generated from coal and natural gas. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan,File)

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s capacity to generate solar electricity is expected to triple over the next five years.

That’s according to a recent report from the Solar Energy Industries Association. The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that enough solar energy may be generated in the near future to power upward of 200,000 homes in the state.

The solar industry has been growing nationwide. But it still only accounts for about 2 percent of the nation’s capacity to generate electricity. In Virginia, that figure is half a percent.

Several reasons account for the growth. The cost of installation has been falling, and the demand for green energy has been soaring.

Owners of farmland are also finding that leasing their land for power generation is more profitable than growing traditional crops.